Belt conveyer driving unit



Aug. 18, 1953 A, D N 2,649,188

BELT CONVEYER DRIVING UNIT Filed Oct. 21, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 18, 1953 w, DUNCAN 2,649,188

BELT CONVEYER DRIVING UNIT Filed Oct. 21, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet? Patented Aug. 18, 1953 BELT OONVEYER DBIVIN G UNIT Angus Wellesley Duncan, Worcester, England, as-

signor of one-half to The Mining. Engineering Company Limited, Worcester, England Application October 21, 1949, Serial No. 122,828 g I In Great Britain October 26, 1948 2 Claims.

In the construction of belt conveyor driving units for underground application, it is well known to provide units of narrow overall width by mounting the motor within, or mainly within, the width of the belt and transmitting the drive to the drum, or drums, through a reduction gear box of narrow overall width generally forming one main side member of the driving unit structure.

It is also well known to provide belt conveyor driving units with reduction gear boxes, forming complete units in themselves, driving through a dog clutch, or similar coupling, and readily removable from the driving unit structure to which they are spigotted and bolted. Such belt conveyor driving units are generally of considerable overall width.

The object of this invention is to provide a belt conveyor driving unit of narrow overall width but retaining the advantages of a quickly Y removable gear box unit to facilitate servicing and speed up replacement in the event of a breakdown.

According to the invention, the reduction gears for a belt conveyor driving unit are carried in a removable casting (or castings) accurately positioned on one side plate of the unit while the driving motor is mounted on a cross frame member in accurate relationship with the gear housing, the motor shaft carrying the pinion of the first reduction train.

For ease of removability, the belt driving drums are preferably connected to the driving wheels of the reduction gear through sliding couplings such as complementary splined parts; and

to reduce the overall width of the gear the side plate of the unit may be apertured to receive the housings of the couplings and bearings so that they are located partially within the main framework.

The above and other parts of the invention are embodied in one constructional form of reduction gear which will now be described in some detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through a conveyor belt driving unit,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation indicating the belt run.

According to the present invention, the driving unit framework for a belt conveyor comprises rigid steel side plates 2 attached to cross frames with the cross-frame 3 across the back of the structure forming the mounting frame for the motor 4.

The cross frame 3, carrying the motor, is 10-- 2 cated accurately in relation to the side plates by dowels 25, 26. The reduction gear box may be also dowelled and bolted to one side plate 2. The motor is spigotted to the back cross frame member 3 so that its position in relation to the reduction gear casing is accurately fixed.

The reduction gear box unit comprises two main castings 5 and 6 respectively carrying two reduction gear trains 1, 8 and 9, ill, the casting 5 also carrying a second equal ratio gear wheel II for driving the primary driving drum l2. The secondary driving drum I3 is driven by the gear wheel ID of the second reduction train and the pinion 1 of the first reduction train is mounted on the motor shaft M. The two gear wheels [0, H are of special form to adapt them for driving the drums I2, I 3, these gear wheels respectively having enclosed splined tubular portions l5, IE to respectively receive splined ends I7, 18 of the driving drum shafts. Bosses I9, 20 on the gear box protrude inwardly through apertures in the structure side plate 2 on the centre lines of the drums.

The spigots 2|, 22, for the idle end bearing housings of the driving drums, are machined in relation to the cross frame dowels 25, 26.

A cap 23, incorporating an oil seal 24, surrounds the motor driving shaft I l and is jointed against the inner face of the gear casing 6. The outside diameter of the cap is greater than that of the driving pinion I, so that when it is removed there is space for the passage of the pinion.

It will be appreciated that the removal of the bolts holding the gear box to the side plate 2 and the bolts holding the cap 23 permits the withdrawal of the gear box complete, yet the overall width of the unit is the same or not substantially more than that which would be necessary had the gear box formed part of the main structure.

I claim:

1. A conveyor comprising side frames between which a belt is disposed longitudinally, at least one belt drive drum mounted transversely between said side frames, a shaft supporting said drum and fixed therewith, a motor mounted substantially between said side frames and having a shaft parallel with said drum shaft, a relatively fiat housing removably mounted on one of said side frames, reduction gear mechanism journalled in said housing and carried thereby, and axially slidable coupling means between said gear mechanism and said drum and motor shafts, whereby said gear mechanism may be uncoupled from said shafts and unitarily removed with said housing from said conveyor, said coupling means between the reduction gear mechanism and the motor shaft comprising the first and second pinions of the reduction gear mechanism and being intermeshed and disengaged by relative axial movement, said first pinion being fixed on the motor shaft, said housing having an opening in its inner side for the passage of said first pinion, and a cap surrounding the motor shaft and removably covering said opening.

2. A conveyor as defined in claim 1 wherein said motor is mounted on a cross frame member that is removably mounted between said side frames and accurately positioned by dowels in said side frames.

ANGUS WELLESLEY DUNCAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Tinsley Oct. 5, 1937 Anderson May 18, 1943 Arentzen et a1 Aug. 3, 1943 Mulkey et a1 Aug. 11, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Jan. 31, 1923 Great Britain Apr. 6, 1933 Great Britain Nov. 12, 1936 

